Last updated on July 19th, 2024 at 03:27 pm
Spring is here, which means that the growing season is beginning. As such, people will be using pesticides to protect their crops and prevent weeds. There is a risk of exposure that can have adverse side effects on both humans and animals, which warrants strict adherence to the product labels and instructions for protective measures. Cooperative Extension services, state and regional conservation agencies, and agricultural membership organizations should provide guidance on use of chemicals and potential alternative measures. Special attention needs to be given to exposures by adults in childbearing years, children, immune-compromised adults, and pets. (source)
The health risks from pesticide exposure depend on pesticide components, the amount a person is exposed to, length of exposure, and the route of exposure – skin, eyes, inhalation, or swallowed. Symptoms of pesticide exposure can range from mild to severe and can include skin, nasal, throat, and eye irritation, headache, and dizziness, weakness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, cramps, blurred vision rapid pulse rate, excessive salivation, confusion or disorientation, rapid breathing or inability to breathe, pinpoint pupils, loss of reflex, muscle twitching, and unconsciousness. (source)
For more information, check out these links:
- AgriSafe’s resources on pesticides and chemicals
- NIH: Farmers’ Exposure to Pesticides: Toxicity Types and Ways of Prevention
- The NIOSH Ag Center
- PERC-med resources to help medical professionals prevent, recognize, and treat pesticide-related illnesses
- The NFMC and NCCRHAS’s kid-focused resource library